


What Makes A Hero

by saiditallbefore



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Light Angst, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-16 05:54:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7255162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saiditallbefore/pseuds/saiditallbefore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post Captain America: Civil War, Wanda does her best to be a hero.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Makes A Hero

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thecarlysutra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecarlysutra/gifts).



Wanda shoves her hands in her pockets, trying to refrain from fiddling with her oversized sweatshirt or sunglasses.  She feels ridiculous in this getup, but it works: no one has recognized her yet.  Passers-by ignore her, probably taking her for another tourist or aspiring actress.

It’s the first time she’s been alone-- _really_ alone-- since…

Well.  It’s the first time she’s been alone in a very long time.

Rather than dwell on that subject, Wanda turns her thoughts to her surroundings.  It’s an open-air cafe in Los Angeles, populated almost entirely by tourists.  A quick skim of their minds shows that everyone is exactly what they appear to be- or at least, they have not been sent after her.

It would still be naive to think that no one at all is watching her.  Wanda takes a sip of her coffee-- it tastes burnt, but at least it’s not overly sweet-- and counts the security cameras.  Four, at least, that Stark could use to keep track of her movements.  Stark, or someone else, but Stark is the least of the evils she faces, and _that_ twists her with bitter irony.

She lets her mind twine through the thoughts in the air again. They wash over her, a wave of petty hopes and fears.  

She finishes her coffee and throws the cup away.  She is about to drift away, to find another cafe, another city, perhaps, to be anonymous in, when she sees a little girl, probably about five years old, standing on the sidewalk alone.

Wanda looks around for the child’s family, but sees no one.  The girl’s thoughts are full of worry, and a bit of fear.  She doesn’t know where she is, and she doesn’t know where her mommy is.

Still, Wanda hesitates.  What if she loses control again?

_“You are an Avenger,”_ she thinks to herself.  The future of the Avengers is uncertain: they may not even exist anymore.  But she exists, and she is here, and she can be a hero.

She goes to the little girl, and crouches down.  

“Hello,” Wanda says.  “Are you lost?”

The little girl nods, blinking tears out of her brown eyes.  “I was looking at the dog,” she said.  There isn’t a dog in the area anymore, but Wanda picks up a mental image of the girl petting a huge, friendly mutt.

Wanda holds a hand out to the girl.  “I’ll help you find her.”

The girl takes her hand.  “What’s your name?”

Trying not to think about how trusting this child is, Wanda answers.  “I’m Wanda.”

“I’m Claire,” the girl says.  She starts babbling about a television show she watches then, and Wanda only pretends to listen, while poking through Claire’s head for an idea of what Claire’s parents look like-- or whoever it is who must be looking for her.  

She’s only a little girl.  Surely there must be _someone_.

Finally, Wanda pulls a memory of a slim, dark-haired woman out of Claire’s thoughts.  The image is distorted, even more than most memories; it’s a child’s perspective on someone much larger and older.  Even so, Wanda gets a good idea of what the woman-- most likely Claire’s mother-- looks like.

A few minutes later, Wanda spots a frantic-looking woman.  The woman is looking around everywhere, and is calling Claire’s name.

Claire spots her, too.  “Aunt Luisa!” she exclaims.

The woman-- Luisa-- dashes to them, nearly running over several pedestrians with her stroller.  She crouches down, hugging Claire tightly.  “I was so worried!”  

Wanda stands back awkwardly, unsure of what she should do.

“Wanda helped me!” Claire says.  

Luisa notices Wanda then.  “I know you,” she says.  “You’re one of the Avengers.”

Wanda’s breath catches in her throat.  She steps back, ready to run, even knowing that this woman poses no threat to her.

But Luisa catches her by the wrist.  “Thank you,” she says.  “I don’t know about everything that happened in Africa with you people, but-- thank you.”

Wanda ducks her head.  “It was no problem,” she murmurs.

This time when she walks away, her heart feels a little lighter.

**Author's Note:**

> [I'm on tumblr!](http://saiditallbefore.tumblr.com/post/149998272153/what-makes-a-hero-saiditallbefore)


End file.
